From September 24 to 28, 2023, Energy Foundation China (EF China) hosted our annual “China Week.” Representatives from philanthropic organizations around the globe including the U.S., the EU, and the UK joined senior officials from Chinese and foreign governments, senior officials from international organizations, as well as top experts and scholars from China and elsewhere for in-depth exchanges and discussions on key areas, challenges, and pathways concerning China’s response to climate change and its low-carbon transformation. EF China has organized “China Week” every year since 2017, aiming to build a bridge for communication between China and the world, enhance mutual communication and understanding, and identify direction for future cooperation. The 2023 “China Week” was the first session held in person since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic nearly four years ago.

During the opening session of China Week, Zou Ji, CEO and President of EF China, warmly welcomed the guests. He emphasized that China is becoming a significant participant and influencer in global carbon reduction efforts. Given the complex geopolitical landscape, there is a growing need for philanthropic organizations to act as bridges, directing funds towards priorities including greening industry and promoting the green transformation of global supply chains, which will play a pivotal role in achieving global decarbonization goals. Simultaneously, EF China is actively advancing deep local cooperation in key regions to effectively address the challenges of local energy transformation and provide context-specific solutions. In the future, EF China will continue to drive the low-carbon transformation of the energy system and increase the proportion of non-fossil energy sources.

During the five-day event, EF China organized in-depth discussions on various themes, including “Green Recovery and Energy Transition,” “Renewable Scale-Up and Coal Phase-Down,” and “Regional and Local Development.” Participants included representatives from international philanthropic organizations such as the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, Climate Imperative Foundation, ClimateWorks Foundation, Global Methane Hub, Hewlett Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Oak Foundation, Packard Foundation, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. They engaged in in-depth discussions with nearly 20 top experts from various fields in China, including Liu Shijin, Vice Chairman of the Economic Committee of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and former Deputy Director of the Development Research Center of the State Council, Jiang Yi, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Director of the Building Energy Research Center at Tsinghua University, Zhao Changwen, President of the Center for International Knowledge on Development (CIKD) and Researcher at the Development Research Center of the State Council, and Liu Qiao, Dean of the Guanghua School of Management at Peking University and Professor in the Department of Finance.

On the morning of September 25, EF China organized a seminar with the theme of “Green Recovery and Energy Transition.”

On the afternoon of September 25, EF China organized a seminar with the theme of “Renewable Scale-Up and Coal Phase-Down.”

On the afternoon of September 26, EF China organized a seminar with the theme of “Regional and Local Development.”

In addition to these seminars, EF China promoted diverse and multi-perspective communication and discussions between international philanthropies and Chinese and foreign experts through such forums as breakfast and dinner meetings and field visits.

On September 24, EF China organized a dinner meeting with leading experts Ma Jun, Director of the Green Finance Committee of China Society for Finance and Banking and President of the Institute of Finance and Sustainability, Wang Haiqin, Deputy Director and Researcher of the Institute of Resources and Environment Policies of the Development Research Center of the State Council, and Yang Fuqiang, Senior Advisor of the Climate Change and Energy Transition Programme (CCETP) of the Institute of Energy at Peking University. These experts, together with representatives of international philanthropic organizations, delved into the challenges and opportunities of the energy transition, approaches to guiding investment in low-carbon technologies, and strategies to promote international cooperation on climate governance.

On September 25, EF China held a breakfast meeting with representatives from the State of California in the fields of energy and climate to explore the potential for cooperation between China and California in clean transportation, clean energy, air quality improvement, low-carbon technologies, and other areas, thereby laying a foundation for subsequent China-U.S. provincial and state-level cooperation. California representatives present at the breakfast meeting included David Russell Hochschild, Chair of California Energy Commission, Tyson Scott Eckerle, Senior Advisor for Clean Infrastructure and Mobility in the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, and Le-Quyen Nguyen, Deputy Secretary for Energy at the California Natural Resources Agency.

On the same day, EF China organized a dinner meeting with experts Zhu Min, President of the National Institute of Financial Research at Tsinghua University, former Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, and former Vice Governor of the People’s Bank of China, Su Wei, former Deputy Secretary General of the National Development and Reform Commission, Wang Yi, Member of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress and Vice Chair of the National Expert Panel on Climate Change, and Yang Lei, Vice President of the Institute of Energy at Peking University. Together with representatives of international philanthropic organizations, they discussed multiple topics including China’s economic development prospects and green recovery, the progress of multilateral cooperation on climate change and the outlook of COP28, and strategies to balance and coordinate economic growth, energy security, and the realization of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals.

On September 26, EF China organized a breakfast meeting that brought together representatives from international philanthropic organizations and international climate experts. The meeting featured guests including Simon Stiell, the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Mary Robinson, Chair of The Elders and former President of Ireland, Jennifer Morgan, the Special Climate Envoy of the German Federal Foreign Office, Laurence Tubiana, CEO of the European Climate Foundation and former French Climate Change Ambassador, Patricia Espinosa, former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and former Mexican Foreign Minister, and Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, former Minister of the Environment of Peru. The event provided a platform for discussions on the vital role that philanthropy can play in global climate action. It emphasized the need for collaboration between governments, businesses, and the public, and underscored the importance of achieiving the 1.5-degree target.

On the morning of September 26, EF China organized a visit by representatives of international philanthropic organizations to the Biology Building at Tsinghua University, a symbol of China-U.S. philanthropy cooperation and exchange. In 1926, the grandfather of Mr. Cole Wilbur, former President of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, sailed to China in his capacity as the president of Stanford University and a director of the Rockefeller Foundation. On behalf of the Rockefeller Foundation, he donated half of the funds urgently needed for the construction of the Biology Building to Tsinghua University. Following his grandfather, Mr. Cole Wilbur has devoted himself to philanthropy, including vigorously helping the Energy Foundation, as an international philanthropic organization, to establish its presence in China and support China’s renewable energy development and low carbon transition.

On the same day, the delegation also visited the Institute for Carbon Neutrality of Tsinghua University and communicated with researchers from multiple schools and departments at Tsinghua University as well as off-campus cooperation organizations. Yang Bin, Vice President of Tsinghua University, met with the seminar participants and delivered a speech. The Institute for Carbon Neutrality of Tsinghua University stands as one of the most authoritative research institutions in this field, with which EF China has carried out systematic cooperation.

On the evening of September 26, EF China hosted an informal dinner on communications, gathering representatives from international philanthropic organizations as well as communication experts from fellow NGOs, media, and academia. During the dinner, participants discussed trends and opportunities in narrative building and public engagement, and shared insights and exciting updates about progress on-the-ground.

On September 27, representatives of international philanthropic organizations were invited to attend a forum themed “Green Economy in the Era of Deglobalization: Global Landscape and China’s Responses” co-hosted by EF China and CICC Global Institute. The forum brought together dozens of senior scholars from decision-making departments, industry community, and academia at home and abroad for in-depth discussions and exchanges on topics including changing trends of investment and trade in the green industry chain, challenges faced by China’s green industry in going global and coping strategies, electric vehicles and battery charging and swapping, new energy sources, and energy storage. Nearly 400 guests from government departments, businesses, investment circles, and other fields attended the event. Huang Zhaohui, CEO of China International Capital Corporation Limited (CICC), and Zou Ji, CEO and President of EF China, attended the meeting and delivered speeches.

On September 28, Xie Zhenhua, China’s Special Envoy for Climate Change, met with representatives from several international philanthropic organizations who participated in “China Week.” They discussed how international philanthropic organizations can contribute to supporting China’s green and low-carbon transformation. The meeting aimed to promote collaboration between the international community and China in addressing climate change and developing sustainable energy.

EF China concluded the event with sharing and exchanging views with representatives of international philanthropic organizations on the key topics touched during the five-day event, their areas of interest, and the potential for future cooperation. Participants agreed that “China Week” enabled them to comprehensively understand China’s advances in climate and low-carbon fields after nearly four years of limited travel due to the pandemic, and provided a platform for in-depth communication and discussion with multiple sectors and players in China. “China Week” significantly contributed to identifying directions for future cooperation and collaboration to facilitate China’s and global response to climate change and low-carbon transformation.